Obliteride 2014 Final Tally: $2.25M for Fred Hutch

The final tally is in for the 2014 edition of the Obliteride charity event for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: Nearly 1,000 people cycled more than 60,000 miles and raised a total of $2,250,000.An impressive number considering this is only the second year for this event.

Obliteride executive director Amy Lavin told me: “We are thrilled to surpass the $2 million mark in our second year and were equally excited by our growth in ridership. Rolling into year three we’re excited to have thousands of people out there sharing their Obliteride experiences and recruiting others to join them. Obliteride 2015 looks to preserve the magic of Obliteride 2014 as we continue to evolve the event with different attractions. Ultimately, we’re all about growing ridership and fundraising so we can accelerate cancer research here at Fred Hutch; cures can’t come fast enough.”

I participated with several High Performance Cycling teammates and a cycling buddy who is also a Fred Hutch researcher. We exceeded our team’s fundraising goal and raised $13,159 for the cause.

“Obliteride is more than a bike ride,” said Lavin. “It’s a fun weekend of concerts, celebration and connection toward a common goal.”

“Obliteride is a way for our entire community to be part of Fred Hutch’s mission to end cancer,” said Dr. Fred Appelbaum, executive vice president and deputy director of Fred Hutch. “Private donations are more critical now than ever because of federal cutbacks. Funding is essential; lives are counting on it.”

In the world of charity events Obliteride is rather unique in that 100 percent of the funds raised go directly to supporting cancer research, including breast and other solid tumor cancers. A portion of Obliteride funds also will be designated to catalyze some of the newest and most promising cancer research.

Obliteride’s generous sponsors, including University Village and the Sloan Foundation, cover the event’s administrative and other costs.

Save the date for the next Obliteride: Aug. 9, 2015. Details will be announced in early January when registration opens. For more information, visit www.obliteride.org.

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